British & Irish Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. 
Serving Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Faggots
British meatballs of minced pork offal, herbs, and onion, wrapped in caul fat and baked in rich onion gravy — robust, old-fashioned, and deeply satisfying.
Contains common allergens
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Instructions
8 steps- 1
Mince or finely chop the liver and pork belly together, then mix with the chopped onion, breadcrumbs, and sage, and season well with salt and pepper.
- 2
Divide the mixture into 8 portions and shape into rough balls.
- 3
Wrap each faggot in a piece of caul fat, tucking the ends underneath.
- 4
Arrange the faggots in a roasting tin or baking dish, just touching.
- 5
For the gravy, soften the sliced onions in a little fat, stir in the flour, then gradually whisk in the beef stock and simmer until thickened.
- 6
Pour the onion gravy around and partly over the faggots.
- 7
Bake at 190C (375F) for 40 to 45 minutes, basting once or twice with the gravy, until the caul fat has rendered and the faggots are richly browned.
- 8
Serve hot with the onion gravy spooned over, alongside mashed potatoes and peas.
Images are for illustrative purposes only, may be inaccurate, and do not guarantee the presence or absence of specific ingredients. Listahan Family Score™
68/100
Works for many families
Score reflects how well this recipe fits a typical busy household. In the app, your Family Score is personalized to your household's allergens, kids, and pantry.
Nutrition
per serving520
Calories
50 g
Protein
19 g
Carbs
25 g
Fat
Estimated per serving. Actual values depend on the brands and portions you use.
Listahan cooking guide
Chef notes & practical guide
Technique notes, ingredient swaps, serve-alongside ideas, storage guidance, and equipment for this recipe.
Cultural context
Faggots are a traditional British offal meatball, particularly associated with the Midlands and Wales, made from pork liver, heart, and belly meat bound with onion, breadcrumbs, and herbs. The name refers to a bundle of sticks, and the meatballs were historically wrapped in caul fat — the lacy membrane from the pig's stomach — to hold them together during cooking. They were a working-class staple throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, produced by butchers as a way to use every part of the pig, and typically served in rich onion gravy with mashed potatoes and peas.
Listahan note
This version uses a mix of pork liver and belly rather than heart alone, which gives a milder, less intensely metallic flavor that is more approachable to those new to offal cooking.
Technique cues
- Blanch the pork liver briefly in simmering water before mincing it; this firms the texture, removes some of the sharpest mineral notes, and makes the finished faggot taste balanced rather than overwhelmingly livery.
- Do not overwork the mixture once the breadcrumbs are added or the finished faggots will be dense and rubbery; mix just until everything is combined and the mixture holds a shape when pressed.
- Baste the faggots halfway through baking and add a splash of water or stock to the roasting pan if it looks dry; the caul fat or foil covering protects them from drying out but the gravy in the pan benefits from the added liquid.
Kitchen flow
- Parallel prep
- Make the onion gravy while the faggots are in the oven; it needs the same 30 to 40 minutes, and combining them to finish together in the pan produces the best result.
- Make-ahead
- Faggots reheat beautifully and most recipes agree they are better on the second day once the gravy has had time to penetrate; make the full batch the night before and refrigerate, then reheat gently on the stovetop.
- Leftover move
- Cold faggots sliced and fried in a little butter until browned make a hearty breakfast alongside eggs, much like a sausage patty.
- Cleanup rhythm
- Mince the liver first and wash all equipment thoroughly before moving to other ingredients; raw liver stains and leaves an odor on porous surfaces like wooden boards.
Ingredient brief
Role, handling, and swap guidance for each key ingredient.
pork liver
primary protein and flavor
Purpose: Liver is the ingredient that defines faggots; it provides the mineral richness and meaty depth that makes this a genuinely satisfying dish rather than a plain pork meatball.
Handling: Remove any visible sinew or bile ducts, then soak in cold milk for 30 minutes to mellow the sharpest edge of the flavor before blanching.
Adaptation: Lamb's liver is milder and can be substituted if a less pronounced offal flavor is preferred; chicken liver produces the mildest result.
pork belly or pork shoulder
fat and texture moderator
Purpose: The fat in the belly tempers the lean, dry nature of the liver and prevents the faggots from becoming tight and chalky as they cook.
Handling: Mince together with the liver so the fat distributes evenly through the mixture.
Adaptation: If belly is unavailable, pork mince with 20 percent fat content works; avoid lean pork mince that produces dry faggots.
fresh breadcrumbs
binder and texture lightener
Purpose: Breadcrumbs absorb the fat released during baking and prevent the mixture from contracting into a dense ball; they also lighten the texture so the faggot feels tender rather than chewy.
Handling: Use soft fresh breadcrumbs rather than dried; dried crumbs absorb too much moisture and make the mixture stiff and dry.
Adaptation: Cooked and cooled mashed potato can replace some of the breadcrumbs for a starchier, softer result.
fresh sage and thyme
seasoning
Purpose: Sage is the classic herb partner to pork liver; its slightly bitter, resinous character harmonizes with the mineral notes in the offal rather than fighting them.
Handling: Chop finely so the herbs are integrated through the mixture rather than appearing as large, chewy pieces.
Adaptation: Dried sage and thyme work well; use half the quantity of fresh herbs when substituting dried.
caul fat
wrapper and basting agent
Purpose: Caul fat holds the faggots together during the early minutes of baking before they set, and its fine strands melt into the surface to baste the meatball throughout cooking.
Handling: Rinse in cold water and soak for 30 minutes to make it pliable before wrapping; tear off pieces large enough to wrap each faggot with slight overlap.
Adaptation: If caul fat is unavailable (it requires a trip to a specialist butcher), stretch aluminum foil strips over the top of each faggot in the baking dish as a loose cover instead.
Technique notes
- A small amount of pig's fry — lung and heart — mixed in with the liver and belly produces a more traditional flavor if you can source it; most British butchers with offal will know exactly what you are asking for.
- Serving faggots nestled directly in the onion gravy in a deep baking dish for the last 10 minutes of cooking lets them absorb the gravy from the outside in, producing a much more flavorful and juicy result than plating separately.
- A splash of Worcestershire sauce stirred into the onion gravy just before serving deepens the umami considerably and is a standard move in Midlands pub cooking.
Ingredient swaps
- Offal-averse direction
- Replace the liver with an equal weight of pork shoulder and add two tablespoons of soy sauce and a teaspoon of dark miso to approximate the umami depth; the result is a well-seasoned pork meatball rather than a true faggot, but very good.
- Gluten-free direction
- Use gluten-free breadcrumbs and a gluten-free stock for the gravy; tamari in place of Worcestershire sauce completes the swap.
Serve alongside
- Smooth mashed potatoes with plenty of butter
- Mushy peas
- Pickled red cabbage
- Dark mild ale or a session bitter
- Strong English tea
- Dry cider
Serving suggestions only — check pairings for your household's allergens.
Storage & reheating
- Faggots in gravy keep in the refrigerator for up to four days in a sealed container; the flavor improves significantly after 24 hours as the gravy penetrates the meatball.
- Freeze cooked faggots in their gravy for up to three months; thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of stock if the gravy has thickened too much.
Equipment
- Meat grinder or food processor for mincing the liver and pork together
- Deep baking dish or roasting pan large enough to hold the faggots with space for gravy
- Instant-read thermometer to confirm an internal temperature of 160 degrees
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan for making the onion gravy alongside
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